RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Hamas leaders have angrily rejected suggestions that they resign from the government of the Palestinian Authority.
Ismail Redwan, a spokesman for the Hamas movement, accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of attempting a "clear coup," Albawaba.com said.
Abbas said Friday that efforts to form a unity government had collapsed. He called for the resignation of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
Wadia Abu Nasser, an expert on Palestinian politics, told Voice of America he does not see any way out of the struggle between the two groups.
"I don't see any kind of possible coexistence nowadays between Fatah and Hamas under the current circumstances. So, therefore, I believe the friction will prevail," he said.
The United States cut off most aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won a parliamentary majority, while Israel also halted payments of taxes it collects for the authority. The West Bank and Gaza have been locked in a deepening economic crisis.
Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, said after a Saturday meeting with Abbas that Hamas has missed a real opportunity to end the sanctions.
